On the agenda this trip were two 4Ks in Rangeley area of Maine: Saddleback (4,125 feet) and the Horn (4,041 feet), two mountains connected by a ridge along the Appalachian Trail.
There are essentially two ways to reach these peaks: A long, 14.5 mile round trip along the AT, or about half that by hiking up and down the ski trails of Saddleback Ski Area to the ridge.
AMSTony, SteveHiker and I spent the loooong ride to Rangeley debating which way to take. No answer would be perfect; the AT would be more backwoodsy, but longer -- about 9 hours round trip according to the times listed in the AMC guidebook. The ski trails would be less scenic, perhaps, but much shorter.
We settled on the short attack, given the long slog in a car that it takes to get up there from southern NH and Massachusetts. In the end, it was just perfect for each of us (at least that's my take on it. I'd had given Tony and Steve the pitch that the ski trails would be "relatively" easy, emphasizing the word "relatively," only to have them rib me a bit as we stopped every few feet to catch our breath on the steep grade!)
On the front porch of the base lodge is a sign that welcomes hikers but asks them to stay on a trail designated for walking. A plastic folder contained some maps for hikers to take, pointing them in the right direction.
Along the trail, we ran intoSaddlebacks who told us that Saddleback ski area had been sold in recent years to a gentleman who spruced the place up, lowered prices and made it a friendly place to ski. A co-worker had described the place asoff-piste jewel with lots of off-piste skiing. I resolved to return one day in winter.
Sure, ski trails aren't why we're out there hiking. But it took very little time before we were able to capture some amazing views of Saddleback Pond, mountain ranges to the west and grab some rays. The terrain of the ski trail was smooth and relatively easy, albeit mighty steep in some sections. But we gained the ridge in about 90 minutes and were able to take in the endless views this hike has to offer all the way Saddleback on the ridge, and in the distance, Sugarloaf, the Bigelows, and even up to Katahdin.
